Chapter 29

Chapter 29

"Shopkeeper, half a catty of leeks, please."

"That'll be ten wen."

"I asked for half a catty."

"Oh, sorry, five wen." Wang Ying picked up the scale, weighed half a catty of celery, and tied it up for the customer.

The customer hesitated, "I wanted leeks."

"Oh? Let me weigh it again for you."

After seeing off the customer, Chen Qingyun whispered, "Sister-in-law, what's wrong with you today?"

"No, nothing. Why?"

"You seem distracted. I heard Big Brother had a high fever last night. Did you not sleep well?"

Wang Ying, thinking of something, turned bright red, "No, not at all!"

"If you're not feeling well, rest for a while. I can watch the shop."

"No need." Wang Ying rubbed his face, stood up, and stretched his arms. As he reached out, last night's scene suddenly flashed in his mind—Chen Qingyan holding his hand, pressing their palms together...

Wow—no one had ever told him that having someone else help with "handiwork" could be so thrilling!

For a moment, reason and reality split into two little figures, starting a fight in his mind.

The figure of reason, hands on hips, scolded angrily, "Wang Ying, you're a stalwart man! Do you have to be with a man? Isn't it shameful? What would your grandparents think of you?"

The figure of reality, arms crossed, sneered, "You're a gēr now, completely unable to marry a wife and have children. Being with a man is only natural—what's shameful about that? Besides, you've already transmigrated to ancient times. Even if your grandparents were alive, you wouldn't see them again. Why care about that?"

Wang Ying gradually found himself persuaded by the figure of reality. In fact, he had noticed last night that this body was quite different from his previous life's.

Not only was there no resistance, but he actually really enjoyed intimate contact with Chen Qingyan. And that kiss...

Wang Ying gulped. So this is what kissing feels like—tingly and irresistible.

It had snowed yesterday, and today the temperature suddenly dropped by six or seven degrees Celsius. There were far fewer pedestrians on the street.

In the morning, workers from Yingke Lou (Welcome Inn) and Cuixiang Lou (Fragrant Pavilion) came by to pick vegetables. After they left, half the shop's stock was gone. They’d have to go to the experimental field to pick more vegetables tonight.

At noon, Chen Qingyan brought over a meal container with food.

As soon as they saw each other, both awkwardly turned away. Chen Qingyun took the meal container from her brother and said, "Why didn’t you let Third Brother deliver the food? Big Brother just had a fever last night—he shouldn’t risk catching a cold."

"It's fine."

"Sister-in-law, come eat quickly."

"I'm not hungry. You two eat first."

Chen Qingyan glanced furtively at Wang Ying, who was making a show of being busy nearby, and cleared his throat. "Let's eat together. The food will get cold soon."

Reluctantly, Wang Ying put down the account book, washed his hands, and sat down to eat.

The dining table was a bit small, so they sat close together, their bodies inevitably brushing against each other.

One intentionally leaned in, the other didn’t refuse. The meal left both feeling distracted and aroused.

After eating, Chen Qingyan showed no intention of leaving. Instead, he urged his sister to go home. "It’s cold today. You should head back early."

"It’s alright. I’m wearing plenty, I’m not cold."

"Before I left, Mother didn’t look too well. Go check on her."

Hearing this, Chen Qingyun immediately stood up. "Then I’ll head back first. Big Brother, you stay here and help sister-in-law watch the shop. He doesn’t seem well today either."

"Mm, go on."

Chen Qingyun took the empty meal container and headed home. Once she left, only the two of them remained in the shop. Wang Ying grew increasingly agitated, his chest pounding as if someone were hammering it.

"Mother’s sick?"

"No, she didn’t rest well last night."

"Why did you send Qingyun away?"

Chen Qingyan touched his nose and whispered, "I wanted to spend some time with you."

Wang Ying turned away, suppressing a smile. "Then stay."

Each holding a book, they sat by the heating stove reading. The room was quiet except for the crackling of the firewood.

After a while, Wang Ying couldn’t help but sneak a glance at the person across from him. Noticing he looked pale, he said, "If you’re not feeling well, you don’t need to deliver meals. There’s a food stall nearby; we can eat out."

"It’s fine."

The room fell silent again. Wang Ying flipped through his book but couldn’t focus. He coughed and said, "Last night... it was sudden. I only did that to help you. Don’t overthink it."

"Then, older brother, when you kissed me, was that to help me too?"

Wang Ying’s face instantly flushed red. "That was an accident!"

Chen Qingyan chuckled softly but said nothing.

Wang Ying couldn’t resist kicking him.

Chen Qingyan didn’t dodge, just looked at him with sparkling eyes.

Well, he’d gotten a taste of pleasure.

Seeing him like this made Wang Ying’s heart flutter. "Come here."

"In broad daylight... this isn't proper behavior..."

"What are you thinking! I want to check the cut on your lip."

Chen Qingyan compliantly moved his stool closer. The cut was from Wang Ying biting him—because he was inexperienced and had squeezed too hard. He hadn't noticed while biting, but now in daylight, it was quite visible.

His thumb gently brushed Chen Qingyan's lip. "Does it hurt?"

Chen Qingyan shook his head, his breathing already stirred into disarray.

Wang Ying stood up. "Let’s go. There aren’t many customers today. We’ll close early and head home."

"Okay." Chen Qingyan helped cover the vegetables with straw mats, doused the stove fire, and locked the main door. The two walked home, one behind the other.

When they arrived home, the meal on the stove wasn’t done yet, so the two of them went to the main room first to check on Mother Li.

It seemed she’d really been spooked last night, as even after a day had passed, she still looked pale. Seeing the two of them, she greeted them faintly. "You’re back."

"Mother, please sit down and rest."

"How is Yan'er doing?"

"He’s much better now, no need to worry."

"That’s good. This morning, your fourth uncle sent a letter saying he won’t be returning to our hometown for the New Year this year and asked us to help him make the ancestral offerings on his behalf."

Chen Qingyan picked up the letter on the table and read it. "The weather is cold, and it’s not easy to make the trip back. Besides, Fourth Uncle is in line for a promotion this year, so that figures."

Aside from these matters, the letter also mentioned Chen Qingyan, asking about his recent health and whether he was still studying. It mentioned a vacancy in the Laizhou government office—a ninth-rank clerk position—and asked if he would be willing to give it a try.

Chen Qingyan hesitated for a while before saying, "I’d rather not burden Fourth Uncle. With so many children enrolled in the school now, it wouldn’t be right to just take off."

Li Shi felt the same way. Her son had only just recovered, and she’d be worried with him going so far away.

After staying for a while, the two prepared to return to the backyard, but Li Shi asked Chen Qingyan to stay behind alone.

"What is it, Mother?"

Li Shi said, "I know this marriage wasn’t what you wanted. Are you still bothered by Ying’er’s status?"

"Not at all."

"Then why are you unwilling to seal the marriage?"

Chen Qingyan hesitated, unable to say that it was Wang Ying who didn’t want to, so he took the blame himself. "It’s because of my poor health. I’m holding him back."

"Didn’t the physician say last time that you were fine now?"

"When it comes to bedroom matters... I’m still not quite there yet..."

Hearing this, Li Shi dropped the subject entirely. She no longer dared to hope that her eldest son would continue the family line; she just wanted him to live well.

After leaving Li Shi’s room, Chen Qingyan went to the kitchen, took the food, and returned to the backyard.

After dinner, Wang Ying went to the trial field as usual to pick vegetables, but as soon as he entered, he was startled by an alert.

"Congratulations! Your trial field has been upgraded to Level 2."

What? How did it level up so suddenly?!

Just last time he checked, the experience bar was still far from full. The wheat in the field had only just sprouted, and the fruit trees had only grown a few new leaves. How could it have leveled up already?

Wang Ying thought for a long time but couldn’t figure out the reason. Giving up, he directly opened the electronic screen to see what new features the upgraded trial field had.

[Trial Field 03]

Level: 02

New Feature: Zoned temperature control.

The so-called zoned temperature control meant the trial field could be divided into several areas, each with its own adjustable temperature. This way, the growth speed of plants in other areas wouldn’t be affected.

Wang Ying couldn’t help but exclaim, "Whoa, this is awesome!"

He tried drawing a small corner on the screen and set the temperature there to ten below. Instantly, the grass in that area visibly frosted up!

Wasn’t this a natural icebox?!

Keeping veggies and grain would be so much easier from now on!

The only hitch was the limited size of the trial field. If only it could be expanded a bit more.

Scrolling further down the screen:

The number of people who can enter the trial field increased to 2. (Note: The invited party has to be near the host when entering.)

Wang Ying rubbed his chin, thinking. Did this mean he could bring someone else into the trial field with him?

That would be great! If he couldn’t sleep at night, he could bring Chen Qingyan in to farm together—no need for me to sweat it alone.

But the upgrade conditions still puzzled him. He had initially thought it was based on plant growth and maturity, but now it seemed he might have been wrong.

The last feature was a one-and-a-half-times boost in the trial field’s yield, which was the most straightforward reward. Although it was only an extra 0.5, the vegetables in the field were clearly a lot more.

For example, a cucumber vine that normally produced 4-6 cucumbers now bore at least ten per vine. The tomatoes nearby were also piled high, weighing the branches down.

The glut of vegetables quickly became a burden. The shop could only sell a limited amount each day, and if they picked too many, the extras would go bad before sale.

Although they could be picked and kept fresh, they still weren’t the same as freshly picked ones. If left unpicked, they would rot in the field, which was even more a shame.

Failing that, after this harvest, he would plant fewer vegetables and more crops that keep, like wheat and millet.

By the time Wang Ying left the trial field, it was almost 10 PM. Chen Qingyan was still awake, leaning against the bedside and reading the Records of the Grand Historian.

Seeing Wang Ying return, he quickly put down the book and helped him put away the picked veggies.

After tidying up, the two lay flat on the bed, their hearts beating a little fast.

Wang Ying said, "You don’t need to wait for me next time. I’ve got this. You should rest earlier."

"I wanted to wait up for you."

...

"Brother... can I have another kiss?"

Hearing this address, Wang Ying was a lost cause. He pulled the quilt up, wary. "You’ve just recovered from a serious illness. We shouldn’t go overboard..."

"Just a kiss, that’s all."

"Alright then—"

Before he could finish, Chen Qingyan leaned in and kissed him. At first, it was just a gentle press, their warm, soft lips lightly brushing against each other—a gesture of intimacy without desire.

Wang Ying actively captured his lower lip, sucking gently and licking the wound he had bitten the day before with the tip of his tongue.

"Ah—" Chen Qingyan gasped softly, reaching out to press the back of Wang Ying’s neck and pulled him into a deeper kiss.

Their tongues tangled together, like a game—one retreating, the other pursuing, and once caught, it was all about sucking and licking.

Spit they couldn’t swallow in time trickled down the corners of their mouths. Wang Ying was so into it he got lightheaded, not giving a damn about labels or rules. His eyes saw only this kiss.

So what if he was bending? His previous life had already been hard enough. Now that he had been reborn, why not follow his heart? He wrapped his arms around Chen Qingyan’s shoulders and kissed back passionately.

They had agreed to abstain, but in the end, they couldn’t resist and did it again. The guy nibbled on the fertility mark on Wang Ying’s neck, his movements rough and eager. When Wang Ying climaxed, he almost yelled.